Pakistan: Expanding assistance to flood victims

Residents carry their belongings through a flooded road in Risalpur, located in Nowshera District, in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province July 30, 2010. About 150 people have been killed by flashfloods and bad weather in Pakistan in the last week, with the country's northwest and Baluchistan provinces bearing the brunt of the storms, officials said on Thursday. © REUTERS/Adrees Latif

During the weekend, Médecins Sans Frontières has completed several surveys to get a better picture of people’s needs following the worst floods in Pakistan in 80 years. Médecins Sans Frontières is now expanding activities to include water and sanitation provision, and is also distributing kits containing hygiene products, cooking utensils and other items to fulfil immediate needs.

“The devastation by the floods is enormous, and some towns have been completely washed away. What used to be small streams are now highways of fast-flowing water that are destroying everything in their way” said Josep Prior Tio, Field Coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières in Swat. “Many people remain trapped. Some have taken refuge at the top of hills, others are stuck on islands that have been formed as a result of the floods.”

In case of cholera outbreaks, Médecins Sans Frontières is ready to receive and treat patients in treatment centres in the Dir, Swat and Charsadda districts. The organisation is also providing water distribution to health structures in the Dir and Swat districts. “There is a real need to make sure that people have access to clean drinking water, in order to prevent water-borne diseases such as cholera from spreading” said Benoit De Gryse, Head of Mission in Pakistan.

Médecins Sans Frontières has also distributed 750 kits containing hygiene products, cooking sets, aqua tabs, plastic sheeting and jerry cans in Sibi and Nasirabad in the Baluchistan province, and is planning to distribute thousands more in other areas over the coming days.

Médecins Sans Frontières is supporting basic health units in Mandrakhel, Wadpaga and Gulbela in the Peshawar district. In the Nowshera district Médecins Sans Frontières is providing assistance to the Paddi hospital where the implementation of mobile clinics already enabled the provision of care to 120 patients. 

Médecins Sans Frontières is working on mobilising resources and is preparing to send additional personnel to assist with the intervention in the affected areas.

The organisation is also continuing to conduct exploratory missions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Nowshera and Baluchistan to identify needs and to gain a better understanding of which areas to focus on.  A significant challenge is how to reach people stranded in areas that have been cut off by the water. To overcome this barrier, Médecins Sans Frontières is planning to use a number of helicopters to assess areas that are inaccessible by road.

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